FT World Cup 2018: Round of 16 Preview [Portugal vs Uruguay]

The Portugal vs Uruguay could easily be the most testy fixture of the Round of 16 as it will be a La Liga reunion for Cristiano as the Real Madrid forward battles against rival Atletico defenders Diego Godin and Jose Giminez. Similar for Luis Suarez on the opposite side who will undoubtedly end of up in a pissing match with Pepe. Portugal will be looking to provide better offensive support for Cristiano, as he has scored all of their goals in the tournament so far. Bernardo Silva, Gelson Martins, and Goncalo Guedes have been largely unimpactful in Russia and will need to step up if Uruguay’s back 4 are to be tested.

Portugal

"SIIIIIII." Cristiano Ronaldo

Say what you want about Ronaldo’s impact in build up play this tournament so far, Portugal obviously could care less. They have a clear team strategy that has proven very effective for them in recent international competitions, and ultimately was the major factor in them winning Euro 2016 (at least getting to the finals). Even when his finishing lets him down every now and then, Cristiano is much too potent of a scoring threat, simply because of his range. And I don’t mean shooting range, even thought that’d be more than applicable here. I mean his range and ability to score with variety. Real Madrid’s star man is an extremely dangerous threat from 30 yards out on either foot, is a dead ball specialist and is very strong using his head. This makes him a threat on any corner kick or cross into the oppositions box. Having already scored in Russia through each of the avenues I have just described, Ronaldo will be looking to add to his 4 goals and lead Portugal into the Quarter Finals.

William Carvalho

The holding or defensive midfield position in football is similar to the Corner Back position in American football in the fact that at times, the player occupying the position may be doing his or her best work when no one is mentioning them during the match. Carvalho has easily been one of the best midfielders so far this tournament, due to his ability to read the game, cover ground, and completely alter the oppositions playing style at times in Russia. Not only is he very strong in the tackle, but does the running of two men for Portugal. As Uruguay are a team that pride themselves in their grit and an industry, Carvalho will be a key player for Portugal as he will have to help keep track of Edison Cavani and Luis Suarez as they both drop deep to find the ball at times on Saturday.

Experience

Euro 2016 marked the tournament for me where Portugal can no longer be seen as anything other than contenders in major international competitions. Before winning the 2016 European Championship, they may have had an early exit in World Cup 2014, but prior to that, they made it to the Semi Finals in Euro 2012, the Quarter Finals in Euro 2008, and the Finals of Euro 2004. They also made it to the Semi Finals of World Cup 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo captains the current Portugal side and is the most familiar with his team’s recent successes, as he has seen his nations growth and establishment on the international stage. Portugal should be confident and have proven to themselves time and time again that they have the fight needed to progress at this stage.

 

Uruguay

They have the best defense in the tournament

Even though they will be looking at their star striker pairing of Suarez and Cavani to score against Portugal, both have perhaps been a bit overshadowed by the sheer might of Uruguay’s defensive prowess. “The holy grail of football is the word “balance”” Uruguayan coach Oscar Tabarez told reporters after his side’s 3-0 win against Russia. The Atletico Madrid defensive pairing of Diego Godin and Jose Giminez has seen Uruguay keep a shutout in each of their 3 group stage matches. Portugal will have a tall test come Saturday.

Suarez and Cavani Partnership

In their biggest defensive test thus far (spain) they yielded 3 goals. They have a potent offense in Suarez and Cavani who so far have 3 goals combined in Russia and are heating up a just the right time. Pepe and Fonte have good chemistry but will have a tough time keep up with the relentless movement of both of Uruguay’s talismanic strikers on Saturday.

Set Pieces

World Cup 2018 has been a tournament of set pieces, and Uruguay will know this more than anyone having scored all 5 of their group stage goals from set pieces. Portugal have already given up 2 goals from dead ball situations in Russia, and Uruguay will be looking to win this game by any means necessary

Raheem “The Dream” Sterling

29 November 2017, On a frigid evening at the Etihad, Southampton’s Oriol Romeu looked as if he had earned a point for Southampton in the 75th minute when he tucked home from close range against Ederson. That canceled out City's opener, which came when Virgil van Dijk deflected a free kick from Kevin De Bruyne into his own net in the 47th minute. Coming into the match, City were  beginning to flex on the entirety of the Premier League. They were boasting an 11 game winning streak, and about to shock the footballing world by going on to eventually set a BPL record of winning 18 games to start the season. In the sixth and final minute of stoppage time, Raheem Sterling came to the rescue yet again, as a well worked combination with PFA Player of The Year candidate Kevin DB gave Sterling the space he needed to curl in a heartbreaking effort from the top of the box, past a defeated Frasier Foster. Oof. 2-1, and that was that. I would say this is a moment we have all been waiting for, but Sterling and City have been giving us these moments in abundance so far this season.

While the versatile attacker contributed a rather muted performance 13 January 2018, against his former club Liverpool, resulting in City’s first loss of the campaign, Sterling is enjoying by far his best and most productive season of his career. As the talent has been there since he was scoring hat tricks in Liverpool’s youth team back in 2011, a consistent end product seemed to still be proving elusive for the Jamaican-born star.

In the world of art and entertainment, the word “talent” has always proven to be polarizing. The noun lends itself to immense amounts of expectation, praise, or scrutiny depending on whichever side of it one finds themselves on. This is no different in the world of sport, and in our case, football. In a sport that somehow finds itself becoming younger and younger, we are often finding ourselves becoming hyper-critical of young “starlets” who have garnered global hype and praise while still having yet to establish themselves as world-class or even consistent players clubs can build their teams around. This is an issue that seems to be highlighted in the BPL especially, as the league's off-the-field success has lead to inflated contracts and league transfer values. One shouldn’t have to look further than the likes of Andy Carroll, Luke Shaw, and Adam Lallana.

In England’s first division, this list of similar players continues to grow gradually, just like it’s narrative, as it subtly exposes the amount of players in the country who are failing to live up to the quality and international pedigree of their predecessor Wayne Rooney. A true world class player for the majority of his career, Rooney bodied the premier league for over a decade while setting countless records and becoming Manchester United’s all time leading goal scorer. Even past his prime, he has still found ways this season to inspire a disjointed Everton side with his production and grit.

Which brings us back to Raheem. During his time at Liverpool, we watched the forward rise onto the scene 24 March 2012, as Sterling made his senior Liverpool debut as a substitute in a league match against Wigan Athletic. At 17 years and 107 days old, he became the third-youngest player to play for the club and only featured twice more over the remainder of the campaign, again as a substitute. Over the course of the next two seasons we saw his game grow in impact and production, as he formed a lethal attacking trident with the league’s then top player in Luis Suarez, and a healthy Daniel Sturridge who may have been entering the form of his career. When Suarez left to FC Barcelona after the World Cup in 2014, expectations for Sterling grew a bit feverishly. After a strong performance in his first World Cup competition that year, Sterling was awarded the prestigious Golden Boy, which is given by sports journalists to the “best” U21 football player playing in Europe over the course of the year. As accompanying rumors of the player leaving to Real Madrid and Manchester City arrived seemingly on queue, an under pressure Brendan Rodgers struggled at times to get the best out a 19-year-old Sterling and an underwhelming Liverpool squad fresh off of the title letdown of the previous campaign and the loss of the talismanic Luis Suarez. As reports grew of a rift between Sterling and Rodgers, as well as a potential departure to City in the summer transfer window of 2015, expectations grew hastily alongside them. While Sterling shone brightly at times over the course of the campaign, the shoes left behind by Suarez proved to be a bit too big, and an injury plagued season for England international Daniel Sturridge lead to compounding amounts of pressure on Raheem. Ultimately, Liverpool finished the season in sixth, twelve points off of Champions League qualification and all eyes pointed to an under fire Brendan Rodgers as well as a young and slightly petulant Sterling. The contract dispute and eventual falling out between both parties proved almost predictable, with a move away from the Merseyside club seeming inevitable.

When Manchester City came calling on July 12, 2015, questions arose from football publications and pundits alike. Is a 19-year-old really worth 45 Million pounds after a season where his production across all competitions regressed? Did he owe Liverpool one or two more seasons of loyalty? Will he follow in the disappointing footsteps of fellow British players such as Shawn Wright Phillips and Theo Walcott? These inquiries proved to be harsh at times, with some coming from former players and coaches who are clearly out of touch with the modern game and its challenges. With that being said, some of these insights have stemmed from those who clearly only want to see the young lad succeed and meet his potential, as so many before him have failed to do. His debut campaign at City proved to be a season of firsts as Sterling scored his first competitive goal for Manchester City - in a 2–0 defeat of Watford at the the City of Manchester Stadium and also scored his first career hat-trick as City beat Bournemouth 5–1 on 17 October. On 3 November, Sterling scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 1–3 win at Sevilla. Though the 2015/2016 season got off to a good start for the attacker, it unfortunately would not end as such. Raheem failed to sustain his form in an underperforming City side that seemed distracted by the looming and eventual departure of then coach Manuel Pelligrini. Two-thirds into the season, in a loss to rivals Manchester United, Sterling picked up a groin injury that would ultimately cast him out of a spot in the starting lineup, giving the media a whole new slew questions and judgements on his development heading into the summer. While the 2016/2017 campaign may have brought new doubts, it also brought along the ingenuity, personality, and influence of Pep Guardiola.

While we all know of Guardiola’s reputation as a master tactician and scholar of the game, not enough has been said about my man’s player management skills. Of course, the 14 trophies in four seasons he won with FC Barcelona made him the most successful coach in the club’s history, but his eye for talent paired with his ability to nurture it should be deemed almost as impressive. Look no further than Pedro Rodriguez, a player that may not have had the talent that Sterling has in abundance, but one that benefited from the teachings of Guardiola and the world-class players that surrounded him. In 2009/2010, Pep confirmed that Pedro would be promoted to Barcelona's first team and he responded with a breakthrough year, during which he became the first player to score in six different club competitions across a single season and in the same year. 99 goals and 20 trophies later, it’s hard to argue with Pedro's development, killer instinct, and understanding of the game.

As the 2016/2017 season wore on, in a team that clearly struggled to adjust to the exceptionally high standard that is Pep football, Sterling had a bounce back season, registering 10 goals and 16 assists. Even more importantly, the development mentally and off the field was evident, and all of the hard work was beginning to pay dividends. With more intelligent off-the-ball movement, Sterling was finally learning how to impact the game for himself and his teammates with less of the ball at his feet.

Now at 23, Sterling is enjoying his best season to date. We are all witnessing the consistent impact, industry, and hunger in his game that should justify all of the hype as well price tag that City paid Liverpool for his services. With 21 goals and 5 assists across all competitions at the halfway mark of this season, he has already eclipsed the entirety of his offensive output while at Liverpool. As ironic as it was to see his former club hand Guardiola and Man City their first loss of the BPL campaign, it’s hard to see anyone slowing them down. As the 2018 World Cup awaits this summer, we wait patiently to see how Sterling will take what he has learned from his experiences this season to help drive the England national side deep into the knockout rounds on the biggest stage of all.